This vintage represents our 16th limited-production bottling from selected vineyards of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. Each year we create wine that best expresses the finest characteristics of Pinot Noir. We then offer this wine to you at an outstanding value.
This vintage has notes of floral-violets, anise, a hint of forest floor, and a touch of baking spice, smoke, and clove, yielding to flavors of brandied cherries, plum, blue fruit, orange rind and sweet herb. It has plush, rich tannins and will reward aging.
Windrun was founded by Dr. Lance Mason with the assistance of winemaker Ken Brown in 2010. With the vision of creating great wine, Windrun has prided itself on making impeccable wine, time and time again. Along the way they/we have compiled a wide variety of high class awards and recognitions. In 2012, Scott and Lisa Burns as well as Mark Oliver, joined Lance and continued building the storied Windrun label. This bring us to Spring of 2020.
Now, āWeā, the current owners of Windrun Wine, also known as Cameron and Adam Arevalos, are long time Lompoc, CA residents with family roots and many memories together in this small town. Our love for our family, friends, sports, dogs, and wine are just the few things we are passionate about! We are lucky enough to have gotten this amazing opportunity to acquire and build off of Windrunās already outstanding reputation. We are ready to get together, enjoy some great wine, and create many new memories! We hope you enjoy the ride with us.
Lab Rat Report on the 2018 āVintage Selection No. 16ā Windrun Pinot Noir
I am not a stranger to the Windrun Pinotās, having previously purchased a case of the 2013/2014 combo offering:
I recall my experience with those vintages being quite pleasant, and so I was looking forward to trying this.
It arrived in the early evening the day before the sale, so I did not have time to let the bottle rest before popping the cork.
I am happy to see that they have upgraded the closure to a proper, if somewhat fragile, natural cork. The 2013/2014 bottles had metal ROPP screw-type caps.
Pouring a glass, it seems fairly dark for a pinot, and does not have much in the way of legs when swirled.
On the nose there is a distinct hint of dark plum and freshly ground pepper.
Taking a sip, I get a distinct ripe grape taste and a hint of stonefruit like peach or nectarine. The tannins are round, and it seems to be in the peak of the drinking window now; I wouldnāt cellar it for very long.
The pepperiness from the nose comes through on the finish, and leaves a distinctly spicy aftertaste that is more reminiscent of Yadkin Valley merlots than anything Iāve had out of California.
If pressed I would say that I enjoyed the 2013 and 2014 a bit more than this vintage, however it still makes a very impressive showing and may have more to do with not giving the bottle enough time to properly rest before popping the cork.
@nklb@Winedavid49 very different than what the initial read was suggesting with the anise and blue fruit. Iām a bit ??? Now on this. Loved the idea of anise and red wine.
Okay I tried some again here on day two, and I must say it is much better after being allowed to settle down.
I no longer get the plum or ripe grape tastes, but the stonefruit and pepper are still there. Itās basically a lot less sweet tasting in general now than the impression from yesterday; still not completely dry, though.
The tannins are much more noticeable (in a good way), and I no longer think this wine needs to be drank soon, I think it does have a couple years left in it.
I would definitely consider buying this if it were available for my state.
@nklb Thanks enjoyed the Rat report and the 2nd day follow-up. From the pic it does look to have a deeper darker hue than some PNs that are more of a translucent cherry color. And I tend to prefer the deeper darker onesā¦
@kaolis I was wondering about that. I noticed it in the current write up and went back to the old offer and couldnāt find anything about owners at that time.
Wine Enthusiast:
92 Points. Opulent black-cherry, boysenberry and concentrated hibiscus aromas meet with star anise on the nose of this bottling. The palate combines rich and dark strawberry flavors with a red-plum tang, enhanced further by pinches of oregano, thyme and pine needle. MK 12/1/20
and the Wine Spectacle:
88 Points. Bright and fruity, with cherry and wild berry flavors that are backed by vibrant acidity, with light mineral and spice accents on the finish. Drink now through 2023. 1,200 cases made. ā KM web only 2020
āā¦sourced from vineyards overlooking the Santa Ynez River. North-facing slopes are planted to clones 115, 667 and 777. The wine aged for 11 months in 15% new French oak.ā
Hello, Iām one of the prior owners, Scott. The new owners are still making very good wine, this is the last vintage of our ownership, Ken Brown has been and still is the wine maker, thanks for letting me chime in
@Letsdrinkplease good question, and no simple answer, Iāve had it with grilled tuna and salmon, I think it depends on what seasoning you use on the fish, Scott
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2018 Windrun Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir - $30 = 14.27%
2018 Windrun Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills
92 points - Wine Enthusiast
Tasting Notes
Specs
Whatās Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$396/Case at Windrun Wine Company for 12x 2018 Windrun Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, Oct 14 - Monday, Oct 18
Windrun Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir
4 bottles for $69.99 $17.50/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $179.99 $15/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2018 Windrun Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir
@winedavid49
So, weāre done with styro shipping now?
@rjquillin oof, good catch . . .
@rjquillin we are indeed out of summer 2 day transit mode.
@Winedavid49 Ok, no 2-day, get it; but still styro for hot spots? Weāre still pushing 100ā¦
@rjquillin Styro use is waning if not over with by the time this ships.
@rjquillin @Winedavid49 good finally styro that doesnāt get jammed in my package locker I have to use a knife to get the box outā¦
Lab Rat Report on the 2018 āVintage Selection No. 16ā Windrun Pinot Noir
I am not a stranger to the Windrun Pinotās, having previously purchased a case of the 2013/2014 combo offering:
I recall my experience with those vintages being quite pleasant, and so I was looking forward to trying this.
It arrived in the early evening the day before the sale, so I did not have time to let the bottle rest before popping the cork.
I am happy to see that they have upgraded the closure to a proper, if somewhat fragile, natural cork. The 2013/2014 bottles had metal ROPP screw-type caps.
Pouring a glass, it seems fairly dark for a pinot, and does not have much in the way of legs when swirled.
On the nose there is a distinct hint of dark plum and freshly ground pepper.
Taking a sip, I get a distinct ripe grape taste and a hint of stonefruit like peach or nectarine. The tannins are round, and it seems to be in the peak of the drinking window now; I wouldnāt cellar it for very long.
The pepperiness from the nose comes through on the finish, and leaves a distinctly spicy aftertaste that is more reminiscent of Yadkin Valley merlots than anything Iāve had out of California.
If pressed I would say that I enjoyed the 2013 and 2014 a bit more than this vintage, however it still makes a very impressive showing and may have more to do with not giving the bottle enough time to properly rest before popping the cork.
Iāll try some more later and report back.
@nklb Solid rattage! am i the first one to make note of the Yadkin Valley reference? iāll have to try a bottleā¦
@nklb @Winedavid49 very different than what the initial read was suggesting with the anise and blue fruit. Iām a bit ??? Now on this. Loved the idea of anise and red wine.
@nklb Thank you for the rattage. Interesting comparison to the earlier vintages.
Okay I tried some again here on day two, and I must say it is much better after being allowed to settle down.
I no longer get the plum or ripe grape tastes, but the stonefruit and pepper are still there. Itās basically a lot less sweet tasting in general now than the impression from yesterday; still not completely dry, though.
The tannins are much more noticeable (in a good way), and I no longer think this wine needs to be drank soon, I think it does have a couple years left in it.
I would definitely consider buying this if it were available for my state.
@nklb Thanks enjoyed the Rat report and the 2nd day follow-up. From the pic it does look to have a deeper darker hue than some PNs that are more of a translucent cherry color. And I tend to prefer the deeper darker onesā¦
Enjoyed the Jan 2019 offering. Different label and amazing case price last time but still tempting . . .
@sammypedram this price is almost double that previous amazing price point.
@sammypedram @TimW Different owners? I āthinkā current owners took over late 2019.
@kaolis I was wondering about that. I noticed it in the current write up and went back to the old offer and couldnāt find anything about owners at that time.
@kaolis @sammypedram yea, grab it now. i believe this is the last bottling. very good juice for the price, IMO.
Wine Enthusiast:
92 Points. Opulent black-cherry, boysenberry and concentrated hibiscus aromas meet with star anise on the nose of this bottling. The palate combines rich and dark strawberry flavors with a red-plum tang, enhanced further by pinches of oregano, thyme and pine needle. MK 12/1/20
and the Wine Spectacle:
88 Points. Bright and fruity, with cherry and wild berry flavors that are backed by vibrant acidity, with light mineral and spice accents on the finish. Drink now through 2023. 1,200 cases made. ā KM web only 2020
fwiw
A little blurb here from Pull That Cork (?):
https://pullthatcork.com/2020/windrun-pinot-noir-2/
noted in the blurb is a bit of tech info:
āā¦sourced from vineyards overlooking the Santa Ynez River. North-facing slopes are planted to clones 115, 667 and 777. The wine aged for 11 months in 15% new French oak.ā
Hello, Iām one of the prior owners, Scott. The new owners are still making very good wine, this is the last vintage of our ownership, Ken Brown has been and still is the wine maker, thanks for letting me chime in
@WSBURNS hello! Thoughts on how this might pair with grilled tuna? Or other food for that matter? Thanks.
@Letsdrinkplease good question, and no simple answer, Iāve had it with grilled tuna and salmon, I think it depends on what seasoning you use on the fish, Scott
@WSBURNS thank you!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2018 Windrun Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir - $30 = 14.27%